chapter 7

ELORA'S pov

My mouth dropped open, my eyes blaring into Valen's purple ones.

The bridge of my ears tickled, like they were trying to figure out if he actually said what I thought he said.

"Do I need to repeat myself, Lucius?" His brows came up in a questioning glare. I shook my head slowly, swallowing past the lump in my throat and walking into the circle.

"Go! Jake!" Some of Blue shirt's friends hollered, cheering him on. "He looks like a scaredy cat, you can crush him with your eyes closed."

An already energized Jake laughed, the sound maniac as his eyes pierced through mine, bouncing through the ring and surrounding me like he's actually planning on obeying his friends.

I'm about to turn back to Valen and plead for him to stop this madness, but I think better of it. The look Valen has on me is so carefully placed, that anyone who was smart would know he had an agenda, like he had put me in this position to test my limits, to know just how skilled I am or more like, how much of a danger I am.

And he is about to find out both.

My brows come together at the sound of the whistle a student instructed by Valen gives, I place one foot behind the order and fold my hands into fists before me. Taking the stance Father has taught me over and over again was the best for stamina.

Jake looked at my stance and laughed mockingly.

A side of my lips curved up as he lurched for me with all his might, as I suspected, he was all muscle but no brain.

Easily, I dodged his attempt of a punch, putting a leg out instead and tripping him, and next, the big bad wolf lost his balance and fell face flat on the ground.

The echoes of surprise filled the hall, I really had no reason to trip him, considering it would do him no real damage and just make him angry, but I wanted to disgrace him among his peers.

If there was something an Alpha hated, it was being embarrassed.

I used that opportunity to take a sneak at Valen, he had no expression in his gaze, but the intensity in his gaze looked well enough like he was burning daggers into me.

"You Fool!" Jake screeched, jumping back on his feet, but this time, anger rolling off him in waves. "I am going to kill you, and I'm going to enjoy it."

A side of my lips curved up, "only if you can catch me first."

He snarled, and next, the brainless fool rushed towards me again, I watched his movements, his legs shot up and I knew already what he had planned, I grabbed his leg, locking it in-between mine and making a backflip that sent him flying out of the circle and hitting the ground in a merciless thud.

Students had scurried off to not be associated with him.

I was sure as hell I heard the sound of bones snapping and breaking from the fall.

He scurried to stand, but I could feel his feet wobble.

'He is injured on his right thigh.' Lyra notes in my head, seeming to enjoy the sprint.

'I could already see that, Genius.' I rolled my eyes at her, earning a snicker.

"I will kill you!!!!" Jake screamed, running right after me, but I had been so into my conversation with Lyra that I had forgotten to make my stand, I wailed in pain as his fist collided with my jaw in a hard crush.

And next thing I knew, I was on the ground, he sat on me next, taking my fall to his advantage as he pulled back an arm to punch me in the face.

I tried to wiggle out of his hold, but he was incredibly strong, I closed my eyes to welcome the pain but it flew back open when another fist caught Jake's own mid-air.

Valen.

"Aw!" Jake's voice whined, and seconds later, he was being pulled off me, he was thrown across the ground next. "Why?" He croaked, anger rising in his stomach.

"You've disgraced yourself enough." Valen eyed him in disgust. "I'll take it from here, and for today, you can keep your pathetic life."

"B-b-but I had him!" Jake countered, blood oozing from his mouth from the earlier fall, and a tooth missing. "I had him just now."

"After letting yourself to be hauled and thrown around by a man so small he could be the same size of a little boy?" Valen's brows curved up in subtle anger. "I think the f*ck not."

Everyone around laughed, Jake's face was contorted in pure shame, and when he looked towards me, I had barely managed to stand, blood also covered my jaw from where he had punched me earlier.

I fought to maintain his gaze like an Alpha would, and not back down. But with the malice he had in them, I knew I had just made another enemy.

Jake walked out of the hall, and finally Valen turned to me. "Now, you'd have to fight me, Sunshine. Let's see just how calculative you are."

My mouth dropped open, why the f*ck did he want me to fight him?

I wanted to protest, but I wasn't a nagger, and I certainly as hell wasn't a quitter.

So instead, I placed a foot behind another and brought my fists out, his gaze traveled down my body, taking my stance. And a smile curved up his lips, as though he was saying... 'this would be fun.'

Valen moved, but unlike Jake who fought with muscle, Valen was crazy good. He was more calculative than I was. He pushed out a hand to punch me and when I dodged it, thinking it was his attack, his other hand I had not seen, grabbed my waist, pushing me into him.

My eyes widened, and for the fourth time since Valen and I began fighting, I was tackled to the ground, but this time, he climbed over me, his two thighs straddling me.

"Let go of me!" I screeched, thrashing and clawing at his chest.

My stomach thumped when he grabbed my two wrists, slamming them hard against the cold ground.

He had done this over and over since he came into the circle, unlike Jake, he wasn't hurting me, but it seemed more like he was intent on pinning me to him and the ground every second he could, rendering me helpless and showing me just how weak I was in comparison to him.

I stared up at his eyes, showing just how much anger I had brewing in mine.

And at that second, my stomach had decided it wanted to show just how hungry I was.

It rumbled, shocking even Valen and letting his gaze roam to my stomach. I took his distraction to my advantage and punched his face, lifting my legs and hips fast enough that he tumbled and I was on him instead, I pulled a dagger I had stolen to his neck, keeping him pinned to the ground instead, and my legs on either side of him, straddling him.

Gasps filled the entire hall, and immediately as it came, it fell silent. I could guess no one had ever tried to pull a dagger on the Alpha King.

Good to know I'm a record breaker.

Some people stepped forward but his fingers ticked, stopping them in their tracks. His eyes on mine that had always looked angry changed into something more... Something worse. Amusement.

"What the f*ck is amusing about having a dagger to your throat, Alpha King?" I said the last word in disgust, making sure he could feel it.

Then, slowly, his eyes trailed down to my thigh— in-between my thigh where I was currently straddling him, not noticing my cl*t was directly above his....

I gasped, only feeling his d*ck harden so much more, like it wanted to rip through his trousers and bury itself inside me.

Heat curled up my neck in an instant, my skin flushed as an unfamiliar feeling tugged at my lower belly.

Admitting this was embarrassing enough, I opted to stand and lift the dagger from him, but he caught my hand before I could remove it from his neck.

His eyes trained on mine, and my pale cheeks I was sure must have turned red. "What do you think you're —" I began, but he cut me off.

"Why didn't you eat the breakfast I brought to the room for you?" His tone had turned icy, like his erection was growing against my heat right now.

I blinked, his hand still holding my wrist and keeping the dagger to his throat. "What?"

"You skipped breakfast, I brought it to you, why didn't you eat it? You've been fighting on an empty stomach?"

"I..." My lips trembled, wondering what the f*ck to say and what the hell was going on. No one could hear us when we were practically this close. But people were still watching. "Why would you... Bring me..."

Deciding he didn't care to hear what I had to say, he pulled me away from him and held onto my wrist, pulling me through the crowd and towards the exit.

"Valen!" I screamed, trying to claw my wrist away from his hold and trying to not fall from how fast he was moving. "What the f*ck do you think you're doing? Where are you taking me?"

Not sparing me a glance, he exited the training room. "I'm going to feed you. Apparently you're incapable of doing that yourself."